The Legend of Dragoon: A Legacy From the Ashes
by Archangel and Spike
Summary: Two decades after the destruction of Melbu Frahma, a new group of threats grip Endiness by the throat. Will the son of Dart and Shana Feld be able to carry on the Dragoons' burden? Please R & R! Chapter 4 up...The journey to Basil is nearly over, but w
1. Prologue

Title: The Legend of Dragoon: A Legacy From the Ashes

Authors: Spike and Archangel

Prologue

**Twenty Three years after the destruction of the Virage Embryo**

The full moon shone brightly down on the burning village of Seles, not that it needed the extra illumination. The scorching fire had blazed through the straw roofs and wooden foundations in little to no time at all. Some panicking citizen had undoubtedly knocked over a lantern, or dropped a torch in their flight.

In the tallest tower, hidden by darkness that the flames had not yet licked, a solitary figure stooped, watching in silent dismay. The fires would not have spread like this unless something was desperately wrong. The figure spread its translucent wings and glided down into the house he knew best. Through the flames it tore, unharmed.

"Mother! Father?" a young man's voice shouted out through the pops and cracks of the blazing heat.

"Balian!" Came an elderly woman's voice. Following the sound, Balian tore over a flaming desk, and into a smoke filled room. Feeling around, he finally met his mother's arm.

"Oh, mother," he said, just before she collapsed in his arms. She was coughing violently, and her husband was nowhere to be found.

"He's on the floor," she said. "He collapsed when we fell back here to hide from them."

Balian picked up his father and guided his mother out of the room. He could hear the rafters above them shaking loose. On his shoulder his father stirred. "Put me down, I'm fine." Balian set him down, and beheld he blood on his hand, which was pooring from an injury on his father's side.

"They managed to bite me," the old man said. Balian and his mother both gasped. His father pulled out a red gem that Balian knew very well. It was placed in his hand with no surreal shimmer, holding true to tradition. "You know I have to stay here," he said slowly. His mother gasped and took his hand.

"Oh, darling," she said. She embraced her husband for a while, despite the home around them being so near to collapse. After a moment, she looked to Balian, "I shall stay as well, son."

"But mother-"

"But nothing! You know how much I love him, and cannot live without him. Leave us, our time has ended. Go, son, and live on well," she said. Yet her brown eyes' shimmer was still kind and loving. There was no trace of fear or doubt.

"Goodbye, son, and not another word of contradiction," his father said.

"…Very well, Goodbye mom and dad. It was good seeing you one last time. I just wish it didn't have to be like this," Balian said. He embraced them one final time, as parts of the ceiling fell around them.

Balain tore out of the house, and turned just in time to see it collapse. He fell on his knees, knowing that his parents were surely dead, and if he had stayed any longer, it was likely that he would have been too. The gem in his hand gave a remorseful glow, and for a moment Balian felt the pain of the creature's spirit within. His own anguish made itself known in the form of tears, streaming down his face. He beat the ground in agonizing fury at his parents' stubbornness.

Yet, as he pounded his fists into the earth, he noticed indentations that could not possibly belong to him. They were large clawed feet-Three pairs of them, leading away from the village, with trails of blood indicating bodies being drug alongside them. The foul creatures had returned to their den somewhere west of Seles. His eyes followed the footprints, well lit by moonlight. He felt the wind blowing in that direction, beckoning him on, after the beasts.

With sorrowful eyes, Balian stood on his feet and looked to the rubble of his home. With a shaky voice, he paid his last respects to Dart and Shana Feld.

With an angry blackness coursing around his body, he took off after the beasts that had killed is family, and destroyed his hometown…

* * *

The Virage Embryo, the God of Destruction, had been eradicated, along with the Divine Tree, and the Moon that had previously never set. Three monumental figureheads for all the legends and religions that coursed through the continent of Endiness, were annihilated in one tremendous explosion. 

Even through the grief at the loss of his friend, the mysterious Rose, and his newfound father, Zieg, Dart Feld had to wonder, as the mushroom shaped cloud rose higher, engulfing a large portion of the sky. What was next? This event would shatter the beliefs of so many people all throughout Endiness. Where would the world go from here?

Then, as if the sky had read his mind, and provided an answer of its own, the edge of a small, blood red moon crept out from behind the explosive cloud. For a moment they all stared at it, wondering where it had come from.

Dart opted to dismiss it, and turned to the girl curled up in the cradle of his long right arm. "Shana, are you alright?"

She nodded, "I'm fine."

Haschel flew over to Dart, and placed a wrinkled hand on the pauldron of Dart's armor. "Now's the part where the leader says 'let's all go home and live happily ever after."

Dart nodded, "Let's go rebuild our lives," he said. And they all took off toward their homes, together at first, but one by one breaking off to go their separate directions. Dart stayed in Seles only long enough to leave Shana to help the town rebuild. He and Albert had discussed on the homeward flight the dangers of this new Dragoon Spirit, and all its great power. They feared for the welfare of Endiness should it fall into the wrong hands.

They decided, with their planning, and a portion of the Serdian Treasury, to place the spirit in a rigged fortress at the top of Mount Mortal Dragon. In two years, the fortress was built. Albert returned to Serdio to marry Emile, his secret love, and the princess of Tiberoa. Their son was expected to inherit both kingdoms. Dart, however, returned alone to the ruins of the Divine Tree. There, after a long period of fruitless searching, he finally discovered the Darkness Dragoon Spirit and the Red Eyed Dragoon spirit, which answered to him, immediately. He then returned home to hear news of Albert's marriage to Emile just after he proposed and received Shana's marriage acceptance. The couples were wedded, and each had a son, born on the same day some nine months later.

It was expected that the king and savior would be friends until their ripe old ages, and that Dart's son would one day be first knight of the first knighthood to Albert's son.

Yet populations of two countries' minds were wracked with grief two years later to hear that Albert's entire family had suddenly died. Dart immediately traveled to the capital to inquire as to what had happened.

The King and his family had been on a small excursion near a forest some miles outside of the city walls, and one night when the new red moon was full, the wildlife –as had been typical of them on full moon nights- became berserk. Albert returned the next day with the blood of himself, his family, and his attacker all over him, deathly ill.

The physicians could do nothing about his strange condition, Albert died within hours of being hospitalized. And with the King, Queen and Prince all dead, and all other family deceased, Albert's line was decimated.

Questions quickly arose among the politicians as to who would resume duties at the throne. Dart, however, chose to leave quickly after discovering that both Albert's body and his spirit had disappeared.

Tiberoa began pushing for a merger of the kingdoms, as Emile had many relatives, and the country had a king already. Serdian politicians were outraged at this notion, and opposed it unanimously. The Serdians quickly constructed a shaky regime, but Tiberoa kept pushing, finally, brawls broke out, and in the matter of a few years, war erupted. Serdio had an incredible mainland army, but it was outmatched by Tiberoa's incredible navy. The two countries remained in a lock up for years. Dart wisely chose no side, and merely returned to Seles after announcing a curse upon the Jade Dragoon Spirit, as it had engulfed two of his friends' lives. Politically, he disappeared.

Some years later, another tragedy struck. A small village north to the fortress of Hoax was ravaged by what onlookers could only describe as large, rabid wolves, on the night of a Full Blood Moon. Soon, villages all over the southwest of Serdio began encountering these large "werewolves".

The plague was a slow growing one, and if Serdian units were sent to deal with them, the Tiberoan forces would move in, it was a difficult dilemma. It was a dilemma that the politicians chose to ignore. And so, the wolves spread slowly, until we finally reach the present moment, where the son of Dart and Shana Feld is pursuing the three wolves that had managed to travel as far east as Seles.

* * *

After and hour of flight, Balian finally touched down lightly. He could smell them, with drying blood making their thick hides reek. He looked around, unable to see, but quite able to hear something surrounding him. 

Suddenly, one of the wolves leapt up, illuminated by moonlight, right over Balian's head. In an act of rage, and pure shock, Balian swung his blades up and cut an 'X' in the belly of the beast, which yelped and fell to the ground. Just then Balian swung around and felt his blade cut through the throat of another monster, which gurgled and thumped down onto the ground, squirming and trying in vain to breathe.

Silence followed as the final wolf used the darkness to hide. Finally, it grew insanely hungry and ran forward in a screaming charge. Balian fell onto his back and thrust the blades' tips into the heart of the creature. He swung it over himself, and landed on its gut, wrenching and twisting the swords around in the wolf's heart. It bellowed, and Balian answered it with his own war cry, until the creatures hands fell limp at its sides. Balian gasped for air, and looked around. The wolves' victims were somewhere, and it would probably be best to finish them off as well, and assure that no more of these infectious wolves would ravage any more villages.

He pulled out the blades, and crossed them to remove the heads of the wolf. Then he repeated the process in the one whose belly he'd cut. But just as he bent down to finish the job on the third wolf, it jerked around on the ground, and with one final snarl, it raised a claw and struck down on Balian's face.

The next second took hours, the claw drug down the headband, protecting Balian's brain, but it dug into his eyebrow.

_A scratch from a wolf is just as bad as a bite_, thought Balian remorsefully.

Then the claw drug down into his left eye. Balian knew he'd never see through that eye again. Balian cried out.

The wolf died, with its bloody claw falling to the ground. Balian fell onto his backside and thrashed around for a moment. All of a sudden, his spirit shone brightly. He felt the darkness stretch down from his headband, over the cut, over his eye. He was lifted off the ground, and watched the armor morph slightly, into a more menacing form. As the darkness hardened into armor over the left side of his face, he heard a voice in his head, reptilian, and very agitated.

"You fool."

Author's Note: Hey all! Spike here. I've been watching Archangel work incredibly hard on Throne of Darkness, and he has every idea of how he wants his story written fixed in his head, so I've let him be with his story. Yet I did grow tired of watching the dust gather on my fingers, so I got thinking, and deep in the recesses of my twisted little mind, I found a story. Tell me if you like what you've seen so far, the real chapters should be longer. I hope you like this story, I'm kinda on my own. Please review, and I'll see you when the story truly begins.


	2. A New Ally

Chapter One: A New Ally

"You fool!" The voice said again, more adamantly. Stupidly, Balian looked around, keeping his left eye shut to avoid blood rushing into it.

"Who's there?"

"I am here," the voice answered coyly.

"And who is behind the voice?"

"I have several names, but none that you could ever hope to pronounce without shaming yourself.

"Then what are you?"

"Ah, a question more easily answered. I am one you know somewhat, but I know you very, _very_ well," it answered. "I am the spirit within your armor. I am the Dragon imbued with the elemental power of Darkness."

"The Dragoon Spirit?" Balian exclaimed.

"Yes, none other," the spirit said.

"Why have you never spoken to me before?" Balian asked.

"I may not have spoken to you, but I have communicated, boy. When I was excited, sorrowful, angry, you knew, because you felt it too," the Dragon said.

"That does not answer my question," Balian said.

"True. I did not speak with you because I simply could not. There have been times that I wished I could scream until your ears bled, but only until now have I been able to even give you the faintest of whispers," the Dragon answered.

"Why now?" Balian asked.

"Open your left eye," the Dragon said. Balian nearly objected, but decided to comply. He opened it, and sight rushed into his head, unbelievably acute, yet tinted slightly indigo. He could see everything in the night around him now.

"What did you do?" Balian exclaimed through his shock.

"I saved you. You know how quickly the infection takes over a human's body after being bitten or scratched by a werewolf. Without my help you would be snarling and burying your snout into the bosom of some unlucky villager until the sun came up," the Dragon said. Then, he slipped in a "You're welcome."

"Thank you, but why are you so obviously displeased with me then?" Balian inquired.

"Because, my salvation is only temporary. I have only slowed the infection. Soon you will feel different, you will feel the sickness within you. I cannot totally save you, only slow your fate."

Balian threw his hands into the air, and yelled, "Then what was the point!"

He heard the Dragon grow agitated. "I helped you because you are not beyond help. The infection is great, and I cannot cure you. I doubt even the White Silver Dragoon would be able to do anything for you. However, there is one being capable of helping you, and his power is an unfortunate necessity in these dark times."

"Who can help me if you can't?" Balian asked.

"The most powerful Dragon that ever existed. The Divine Dragon. He was slain by your father, and your predecessor, and used to save the world from Melbu Frahma a second time," The Darkness Dragon said.

"My father?" Balian exclaimed again.

"Yes, I have been aware of your ignorance of your father's journey. I will enlighten you on the important details now."

"Eleven thousand years ago, the Winglies were the dominant species of Endiness. They enslaved the humans and used them for construction, and servants. Living was in itself a burden that most humans totally scorned. Yet death was no better an option. Very few humans pleased their masters enough to escape the Inferno. The Wingly city Mayfil contained a sort of Hell for human souls when they passed away. Eternal torture was what most humans had to look forward to. Yet no human could overpower his master, for as you know, the ancient Winglies were powerful, cunning, and ruthless."

"Yet, among the crowd of seemingly mindless cattle, there were some leaders beginning to make their stands. The most powerful and moving of which was a man by the name of Dias, finally convinced the humans of another way, and broke an entire nation free from Wingly rule. Establishing himself as emperor, he then prepared for the impending war."

"There were very few forces on this planet capable of even stirring fear in any Wingly heart. Some of these forces would not agree to fight alongside humankind. However, we, the Dragons believed in your species' potential for greatness. Dias persuaded one great Dragon from every element to give its life for the cause of the war, and to give their power to a human warrior of its own choosing."

"You were one of those Dragons?" Balian asked.

"Yes, and I gave myself to a human woman named Rose. Rose was the lover of your grandfather, the first Fire Dragoon. An incredibly powerful man named Zieg."

"My _grandfather?_" Balian asked.

"Yes, your grandfather, I will explain. Some other, weaker Dragons put themselves forward and fought alongside the Dragoons, and the humans prepared their own weapons, and weak, weak magic. The first battle was incredible. The Winglies had no idea that the humans and the Dragons had united. We destroyed their forces with our power, and the Winglies left us all be for several years. However, what we had mistaken to be freedom, was in fact borrowed time. The Winglies used their years to develop a subspecies of monsters called Virages. The Virages, large beasts, like a Dragon, only deformed, and without an elemental weakness, attacked with them, and the war turned sour."

"At one point, it seemed certain that we would lose, as the new dictator of the Winglies, Melbu Frahma, was also a military genius, and a magic marvel. He developed two powerful weapons, which he named the Dragon Buster and Dragon Block Staff. The Dragon Buster was a blade that by some form of magic could cut through Dragon scales - and thus, Dragoon armor- like butter. The Dragon Block Staff was a jewel that caused Dragons a great deal of discomfort, and even illness, should they be exposed to it. He used these weapons against us and nearly wiped out the human resistance. However, a large section of Winglies were displeased with the treatment of humans, and joined their cause. The humans got back up on their feet, and in one gargantuan battle, met the confident Winglies."

"It was mayhem, and most of the Dragoons lost their lives to destroy the new super Virages, Rose survived, only to watch the colossal duel between her husband, Zieg, and Frahma. Frahma had the Dragon Buster, but Zieg was an unparalleled swordsman. With that skill, Zieg delt a death blow to Melbu, and it appeared for a moment that the war was over. Yet Melbu cast a petrification spell on Zieg, who fell from the sky. Melbu inserted his spirit into the Fire Dragoon Spirit, and began his long wait. Rose, in the meantime, learned of the Moon That Never Sets' purpose. It housed the embryo for a being more powerful than anything had ever dreamt of, waiting to be merged with the soul of a 'moon child' human. She learned that a moon child is born every one hundred and eight years."

"With that information, she quickly decided her fate. Her friends and lover were all dead, so she felt obligated to protect the world from this being, which was supposedly fated to destroy it. She had a magical choker cast for her to keep her from aging as long as she wore it, and would travel the world, waiting for the moon child to be born. Over time the rumors were contorted, and the humans misinterpreted the moon child to be a blessing, and celebrated the birth of one. Rose's murder of a moon child and the cult-like people around her in my armor earned her the name 'the Black Monste'."

"For eleven thousand years she held this course, until finally, she made a mistake, and killed the wrong child of a pair of twins. So, the moon child grew to the age of eighteen. She met your father, and fell in love with him."

"My mother was the moon child?" Balian asked.

"Yes, together they, along with the other new Dragoons reunited Serdio, saved Tiberoa, and eventually the world. You see, Zieg didn't die when he fell from the sky. He stayed a simple statue for eleven thousand years, until the spell finally wore off. He figured that obviously all his friends and family were long gone, so he started over. He bore Dart, and raised him happily until the day the Black Monster attacked their city. Zieg attempted to use his power to help the town. Yet when he activated the spirit, Melbu struck, and possessed Zieg, and fled to begin his vengeful plot to end the world."

"He wanted to use the Virage Embryo to destroy the world. He disguised himself as Emperor Dias, reincarnated, and convinced a gullible, yet powerful warrior named Lloyd to destroy the barriers to the moon, which finally set, and Frahma possessed the beast, rather than letting Shana follow through with her own destiny. Then, using the Divine Dragon, Dart and the rest of the Dragoons managed to destroy the embryo in its early stages, thus saving the world."

"In that battle, the Red Eyed Dragon was given back to Zieg. He and Rose gave their lives to deal the final blow, and the explosion vaporized everything within the chamber, except our two spirits. After that, some time passed, as we lie next to each other, speaking with each other, as two spirits can when they are near each other. Dart found us, and once again became the Fire Dragoon. We learned of the Divine Dragoon Spirit's imprisonment, and watched as the Blood Moon began its strange revolution, and caused the wildlife to go berserk every time it was full. We saw your birth, where I witnessed your potential for my element, rather than the Fire Dragoon which still considered Dart its ideal owner. We watched you grow with Albert's son, and saw Dart's pain when the family was slain. The rest of the story you have probably learned for yourself."

"Incredible, I had no idea how many dangerous times this continent has been through," Balian said.

"Yes, but as is obvious, dangerous times have yet to come as well, you must continue your family's legacy," The Dragon said.

"I left home to break away from being known only as 'Dart's Son'," Balian argued.

"And you returned to find that being Dart's son is no trophy name, you are from a strong bloodline that has not had the chance to be thinned by time. Serdio and Tiberoa are in the grips of crooked politicians, and soon the entire continent will be ravaged by werewolves. You want your own name in history? It is a selfish dream, but a plausible one, you have potential still, you are needed," The Dragon said.

"But what of my disease?" Balian asked.

"We must find the Divine Dragoon Spirit, perhaps it can overcome the infection that will be slowly growing within you. That is no doubt your prime objective, we must hurry, there is no telling how long the measures I have taken will keep you human. Luckily, it will be another several weeks before the next full moon. Keep a sense on how you feel. Now, I advise you rest somewhere safe, and in the morning we will fly west, to find someone who knows of the fortress," the Dragon said.

Balian's eyes moved around as he searched his feelings for what to say next. After a moment, only two words had come to his mind. "Very well…" he said. He flew to a hill, and lit a fire for warmth. He let his armor dissipate, and felt his face, to find a menacing looking mask over the scar, not welded, but tied by a leather strap around the back of his head. He lifted it off, and felt the wound. It felt as though the wound had been cauterized immediately after they had been torn open. He felt his eye, and in shock searched for the spirit that had been on a necklace around his neck all his life.

It was gone.

He felt his left eye again, and felt a shudder run down his spine. The way that the Dragon had been speaking with him was because it had imbedded itself where his left eye had been before the battle…

Author's Note: Sorry about the wait everybody. Life wont stop being hectic. But I hope you handled this chapter well, its really just a recap of EVERYTHING that's happened. Now we know the mission, but will Balian pull through like his father did? See where this is all going, next chapter. Please review, tell me what you think, ciao!


	3. The Tavern Surprise

Chapter 2: The Tavern Surprise

Nightmares of burning rooftops falling on top of him jerked Balian from his slumber. He sat up, taking a deep breathe. A warm breeze ruffled his long brown hair, lifting it from mid-neck to behind his head. It also made him aware of his clothes being wet, half due to morning dew, half due to cold sweat.

"Good morning," The Dark Dragon said.

"Good morning," Balian answered, though to him, it was a lie. Those dreams had very much reminded him of the fresh death of his parents.

"Your parents died to prevent becoming monsters, they did the right thing," The Dark Dragon said.

"Perhaps, but mourning loved ones is something all humans do," Balian said. Without another word, he activated the spirit that now resided in his left eye's place. A black smoke poured from the cracks in his mask, wrapped around his head, and around the mask itself.

Then, from the smoke, a dim, indigo light shimmered. The smoke tripled, then quadrupled in size. It condensed insanely dense around his vitals, then took on designs that had once held some elegance. Now, they were corrupt, dangerous and sporadic, like the infection within him.

There was still a large jewel in the center, but the reptilian slit was vacant. He looked to his wings, relaxing at his sides. There were more joints, and they looked much more menacing than they had before.

Balian felt his face, and frowned as his fingers ran across the now horned mask. He felt the armor shift to resemble a frown, and then raise with his real eyebrow in shock.

He shook the surprise away, and regained his composure. This was him now. No changing it for the better. In one beat of his now bat-like wings, he was thrown into the sky.

He knew that Albert had helped his father build the fortress of the Divine Dragon's spirit, so if there was a record of how to get there, and how to enter, it would be in Bale, which was Northwest of him. It would take several days of flight to get there, so haste in departure was vital.

* * *

The day was obviously a silent one. Balian knew that the Dark Dragon could make conversation about Rose, and their journeys over the millennia, but he wasn't interested in talking. When the sun began to set, he set down outside of a young village, called Lestrowe. He'd been there as a young boy, but had few memories of the place. He returned to his human form, strapped his blades to his belt, and adjusted his mask.

He walked into the city, instantly seeing – and smelling – why he had no recollection of the place. Lestrowe was a visible cesspool of disgust, and rank with odors of activities that could not be described as acceptable anywhere on the continent. No doubt when they visited in Balian's earlier years he was not allowed anywhere near these extreme distastes. Balian held his breathe and paced through the streets and into the first tavern that looked closest to inviting.

As he opened the doors a wave of air, filled with sounds of booming laughter blew around Balian, and quickly subsided, as he stepped in. No one took a second look at him. To them he was just another traveler in search of a little ale.

Balian sat down at the bar and looked around. It was a big place, with many round tables lit by thing amber lamps above the centers. Almost every chair was filled, mostly by men, but there was still an undeniable presence of women.

Balian knocked on the bar, and to his surprise a tall, pompous looking Wingly strode over to him.

"What'll it be?" he asked.

It took Balian a moment to recover from the shock of a Wingly in the company of so many humans. Yet he answered, "Some good, strong ale, please."

"Two Gold," he said, extending his hand.

Balian placed the money in his hand and stopped the Wingly before turning. "Excuse me, I couldn't help but notice the stage in the center. Does this tavern play music?"

"Yeh, it does, you want to hear some?" the Wingly asked.

"Please, whatever you think is best," Balian answered.

"Comin' right up," the Wingly said. When he turned, Balian saw that he had obviously been drinking quite a bit, for he stumbled.

"Tatyana! The man wants some music! Get up there and earn!" He bellowed stupidly.

To Balian's initial shock, another surprise was added. A Wingly girl floated over the tables and sat down onto the stage. She wore a gray skirt, with a silver tank top on over a black leotard. Her beauty was stunning, but then she strummed the harp strapped to a thin guard on her left arm.

Balian's jaw dropped as soft notes floated sweetly from her mouth. Her hand slid across the harp like a humming bird sipping nectar from some beautiful flower. He couldn't understand the words she was singing, because they were in her own tongue. Yet he, and every other person in the tavern felt entranced by the beauty of her voice.

However, the euphoria was interrupted by a crash. The bartender threw his fist down on the table.

"Woman! I told you! Never sing that song!" He threw a glass at her, nearly hitting her in the shoulder.

"Hey!" Balian shouted, instantly on his feet. The thought of a man abusing a woman was disgusting to him. However, before he could do anything else, the Wingly was in the air and on his way to the stage, where Tatyana sat cowering in fear. Balian could only think of one thing to do.

In an indigo flash, his armor was on him, and he dove through the air and placed two blade tips on the back of the Wingly's neck just as he grabbed Tatyana's wrist.

"Don't move," Balian said.

The Wingly spun around, looking fierce, until he realized that the person threatening him was a Dragon Knight. His fiery eyes suddenly shone bright with shock and fear. He did as he was told.

Suddenly, Balian heard a very distant noise. He intensified his hearing, waiting to hear it if it sounded out again. The voice didn't belong to The Dark Dragon, he was being silent, but Balian could feel him smirking. Suddenly the noise came again, it was definitely reptilian.

Suddenly it hit him like a mallet to the chest. The voice cried out "Her!" It was the spirit of the Red Eyed Dragon. It was speaking through the armor to Balian.

Slowly, he sheathed one blade, keeping the other at the Wingly's throat, and dug his hand under his armor slowly, into a pocket until his fingers found an object that felt like a large marble.

As soon as he drew the spirit out it flew at Tatyana. It landed in her hand and exploded into flame that was so intense that it forced the Wingly bartender to abandon his fear of Balian's blade, and flee to cooler temperatures. Balian took a few steps back as well, and watched the flame course up her arms, as she cried out in shock and leapt into the air, but the fires kept engulfing her.

Finally, she was just a ball of flame, with a white hot center, shining bright. Then, the fire shrunk from the front of her torso, and behind her, where it seemed to stay. The Wingly girl's new armor was breath taking.

There was a green eye in the center of her breasts, that immediately blinked, and looked around. The armor was wrapped tightly around her petite form, and rose above the back of her shoulders, giving the appearance of a brace of pointy fingers. Under them, her wings-which usually would have been composed of magical light- pumped out the same raging fire that had engulfed her instead. Her pauldrons were small, covering not far outside her small shoulders, and her gauntlets ran halfway up her arm.

The harp that she had carried was transformed as well. It looked to be wrapped in Dragon scales as well, as if it were an unorthodox shield. It certainly didn't look like a musical instrument anymore. In her right hand a jeweled scimitar had appeared, with a hilt in the shape of flames. The leg guards were like thigh high boots, that were interrupted by the waist guards, which wrapped around her like a knee length skirt.

But the oddest thing about her armor was that she too had a face guard, over the lowest part of her face, with a screen made of red tendrils over the mouth. The piece was carved to look like an open mouth. It ran up the side of her head and connected with the headband, and her long silver hair flowed around it all, and fell down safely between the wings of fire.

For a moment of pure amazement, the entire town seemed to have gone silent to watch what was happening in the tavern. Tatyana was looking herself over, completely distraught. "What happened?" She yelped, but behind her voice was the low rumble of a raging fire, with cracks and pops. It was a strange mixture, yet curiously beautiful next to her own voice.

"What did you do?" The Wingly man bellowed to Tatyana. All eyes turned to him, red with rage. He pointed a shaking finger toward her. "You turn back now!" Then he pointed to Balian. "Take that and get out!"

"Erroune! No!" Tatyana bellowed, fiercely. Her wings pumped out flames, catching the tops of tables that had long ago been abandoned aflame. "I am _not_ your servant, and now, with this, I no longer have to fear you!"

Balian nodded to her, and turned to the Wingly. However, he was shocked to see a symbol glowing on his forehead. His hands began glowing, and he threw a beam of light at Tatyana.

Again, all were shocked, as Tatyana drew the hilt of her sword across the harp, and the jewel belched out a pillar of flame to collide with the attack. Balian filled one of his blades with dark power and threw it to the collision, and with it broke, called the blade back, grabbed Tatyana, and took to the skies with her.

When they were a safe distance away, Balian turned to her. "Are you okay?"

She looked a little confused, and tired, but she nodded. "Yes, thank you."

Author's Note: I am SOOOOO sorry this took so long! I got the worst writer's block ever, but here it is, Chapter Three. I hope you guys aren't mad. Please tell me what you think, I'd appreciate it, later!


	4. Behind The Mask

Chapter Three: Behind the Mask

"It was nothing," Balian said. He eyed her gripping his forearm rather tightly, and she apologized.

"Sorry, I've never been this high up before," Tatyana said.

"What?" Balian asked.

"I've never flown before, I never learned how to do anything but hover a few feet off the ground," she said.

A soft breeze pushed them a few inches, and she clenched onto his forearm again with both hands.

"Really now," Balian said with a chuckle. The poor girl was staring at the ground with twice as much fear as she had when her husband was attacking her.

"You've been a Dragoon for most of your life, Balian. Long ago you forgot your fear of heights, but this girl obviously still has a fresh fear," The Dark Dragon said.

Balian nodded, and gave her a smile. "You know, if you keep staring at the ground, you'll never figure out that it's actually a beautiful night up here," he said.

After a moment, with effort, Tatyana pulled her eyes up to look into Balian's. She gave a small smile, and looked at the area above and around them. As she took in the view of the night sky, above the clouds, with all the shades of the darkest blue around and below them, and the pale moon directly above their heads, immersed in the twilight of a million stars, she sighed, and with her breath, her tension seemed to leave her.

Tatyana let go of Balian's wrists, and looked herself over. "What happened?" was all she could think of to say. Balian thought about his answer for a good long moment, considering how much to tell her.

"My name is Balian, I was keeping the Spirit of the Red Eyed Dragon, waiting for it to find a new bearer. I'm on the way to Basil to…speak with the higher ups, and-"

"Ooohh, you're a mercenary, aren't you?" She asked. "You're going to help Serdio in the war."

"…Yes," Balian said. He didn't see much point in telling a scared girl that he was looking for the only thing that could save his life, and through that, the lives of countless other people. At least not at the moment, high above the ground. "Evidently, the Red Eyed Dragon, saw itself in you, because it gave you its armor."

"Its armor?" Tatyana asked. She obviously didn't understand.

"Yes, its armor. You see, when a Dragon dies, it can chose to keep its spirit on this place in the form of a gem that strongly resembles a reptilian eye. The spirit can chose bearers that can efficiently utilize the Dragons powers, and that person becomes a Dragoon, a warrior with the power of that Dragon. You have the spirit of the Red Eyed Dragon, the master of the element of fire, as you may have guessed. There are several more, but I don't know where they are precisely, and it doesn't really matter, all I need is to reach Basil," Balian explained.

"I see," Tatyana said, with a tone that gave Balian a foreboding chill. Then she asked the question he feared. "Take me with you, please?"

Balian sighed. "Let's find a place to stay the night." They floated down to a safe clearing in the forests north of Lestrowe. They touched down lightly on the grass, and Balian quickly looked around for any potential dangers.

"Tatyana, I cant bring you with me," he said. He let the armor dissolve back into the spirit, and left her to gather fire wood.

He came back moments later to find her in her true form, sprawled out on the ground. The sudden drain of power had evidently caused her to faint. Balian let her rest, and got the fire started. He then left to hunt for food.

An hour or so later, Balian pulled the deer leg off of the fire, and heard Tatyana stir behind him. He turned as she sat up, and looked around her with a look of surprise.

"No, it wasn't a dream," Balian said with a low chuckle. He offered her a bit of the leg, but she declined.

"I've eaten a lot today, but thank you," she said.

Balian shrugged and began eating…Tatyana was silent for a moment, but soon felt she had to push harder on going with him.

"I cant go back to Lestrowe, Balian. Please, take me as far as Basil. Erroune will probably try to kill me if I go back to Lestrowe," she said.

"…How did you end up with someone like him?" Balian asked.

"I didn't have a choice. My parents and his were good friends, we were paired up ages ago. It was how things worked in the forest that we came from. He decided to leave and explore the human world, and he took me with him. For fifty years we've wandered around, and for the last decade or so, we've resided in Lestrowe," she explained.

She took off the rings from her fingers. "This is the symbol of the married Wingly, the curse of mine for nearly sixty years now."

Balian held his hand out, and she placed the four rings in his hands. "Have you ever cared for him?"

"As a lover? No, I don't even think he cared for me, he just enjoyed having someone to completely control," she said. Balian closed his fist, and then threw the rings in the fire. Tatyana smiled at him.

"Those rings symbolize a lie, and have no value," he said. He looked into the fire, and watched the metal heat up and begin to glow.

"So will you take me with you?" Tatyana asked. Balian looked to her, now resting her arms on her knees, and her cheek on her arms. Her red eyes were on his, and he felt a quickening in his heart.

"…You cant slow me down, or I'll have to leave you in the nearest town we find. I'm in great haste," he said. Tatyana smiled, and looked into the fire.

"I wont slow you down, but I don't think you're unkind enough to drop me somewhere like bad luggage," Tatyana said. "But thank you, Balian, in only one night you've done a countless number of favors for me."

"I have a feeling it will end up being no trouble at all, now get some rest," Balian said. He got up and started walking around the clearing.

"You're growing fond of her rather quickly, don't you think?" The Dark Dragon asked.

"…I don't know what you're talking about, leave me alone," Balian said. The Dragon chuckled.

"I felt what you felt, remember?" The Dark Dragon said.

"…Shut up," Balian said sheepishly. "I don't want to talk about it. I want to take care of my sickness, and as quickly as possible."

"If nothing else matters, perhaps you should tell her about your infection. She won't stick around if she knows her life is in danger, will she?" The Dark Dragon probed.

"…Perhaps, but I don't want to scare her tonight. I'll tell her in the morning," Balian said.

* * *

But Balian never told Tatyana about his infection, three days passed by as his condition remained a secret shared between him and the Dragon. He never told her because, in truth, the Dragon had struck the nail right on the head. Balian was quite fond of the pretty girl with the majestic voice. He didn't wait any longer than the next night to request a song from her. She joyously obliged.

"Do you know any songs in this language?" Balian asked. Tatyana shook her head and apologized. "Oh, no, that's all right, just play whatever you want."

She smiled and began plucking away at the strings, playing the same song she'd played the night they'd met. Balian sat back and relaxed, watching the crescent moon slink slowly around the sky. Then he glanced nervously at the Blood Moon, gliding at the edge of the skyline. He knew that the revolution was less than that of the true moon, and it gave him some worry. Luckily enough, Tatyana's sweet song pulled him from worry and back into a euphoric state.

When she finished, Balian sat up. "Why did Erroune become so angry when you played that song in the tavern?"

"He knew that as much as he controlled me, he would never rid me of my will to be free of him, and it angered him. The song is a Wingly song about learning to grasp freedom, and flying away with it. He's always hated my singing it," Tatyana answered.

"Well, that's foolish. It's such a beautiful song," Balian said.

"Yes, I know, it's my favorite," Tatyana said.

Suddenly, a pack of wolves burst from the forest, having been hunting them for some time. They growled, and drooled at the two unwary explorers in their woods. Balian was up in an instant, but Tatyana stopped him.

"I have this, Balian," she said. She quickly dawned her Dragoon armor, and watched the wolves give a jump. Yet they continued closing in on the pair, licking their lips.

Tatyana looked to her harp, and plucked the highest string on it. Then, her eyes burst into flame, as she shrieked out a note to match it perfectly. Balian felt it reverberating throughout the clearing they were in. The wolves howled in bitter pain, and shrunk to the ground to try to cover their ears from the musical onslaught. Then, as Tatyana's voice continued the note, the fire behind her voice spoke a single word.

"Explosion." The wolves were all thrown away by a fiery explosion underneath them. Several of them died on the spot. The others, horribly burned, limped off into the wilderness to treat themselves. They wouldn't be back.

She let her armor return to her spirit, and Balian gave her a few claps. "Well done," he said. "Impressive."

She smiled. "Thank you." They sat back down by the fire, and finished eating the meal they'd prepared prior to the attack.

"It took me quite a while to get used to the magical attacks of the Dark Dragon Spirit. You're learning really fast," Balian said. Tatyana smiled. There was a moment of silence, Balian saw she was building up to ask a question, but first she gave a smile.

"Thank you again…I've been playing with the notions of what I can do with a Dragon's power, and as if it knows me, I've been getting pictures in my head of me doing incredible things with my armor," Tatyana said.

"Well it does know you, Tatyana. The bond between a Dragon Spirit and it's bearer are strong and thick. You feel most of the same emotions simultaneously, it's quite amazing really," Balian said.

Tatyana looked to the Spirit, that had created itself a necklace to wrap around her neck, and drape down in the center of her chest. "…How do you know that? I can't converse with my Dragon."

"I can," Balian said, then his eyes shot wide open.

"Remarkable." The Dark Dragon said. Balian didn't even try to defend himself from the Dragon's implied insult. As soon as he'd said the words, he knew he'd made a mistake.

"…How?" Tatyana asked.

Balian's mind raced faster than his heart, as he tried desperately to find a way out of this situation.

"There is no escape now, Balian," The Dragon said.

"It has something to do with your mask, doesn't it? I don't mean to probe, but the curiosity has been eating away at my insides since we met. When you're in your armor, your spirit is in your eye, and the mask acts as if it's truly a part of your face," she slid closer to Balian, who was too panicked to move. "And you never take the mask off…"

She reached for his mask, slowly. Balian watched in horror, but momentarily felt there was nothing he could do. She grazed the metal with her fingers, and her shortest finger touched his face. This seemed to break the trance, and he grabbed her wrist. "Please," he said.

"Tell her the truth, Balian," The Dragon said.

"Well it would seem I've learned a fear of yours now, with you grabbing my wrist, instead of the other way around," Tatyana said.

"I…I just don't…" Balian said. After a moment that could not have been longer than ten seconds, yet seemed eternity twofold, he let go of her wrists.

Tatyana seemed frozen for a moment, unsure of what to do, but Balian had placed the moment's power in her hands. She un-strapped the belt behind the mask slowly, and slid it off his face.

She gasped and put her hand over her mouth. Every place the mask had covered was scarred, as if it had been torn down by a white hot pitchfork. In the center of all the scarring, where a human eye would reside, was the Darkness Dragoon spirit, gazing where Balian was: The ground.

"I tried to warn you," Balian said.

"…What happened to you?" Tatyana asked, horrified.

"…I was attacked," Balian said.

"Tell her everything, Balian. There's no point in keeping secrets now," the Dark Dragon said.

Balian sighed. "I'm going to tell you the whole truth, now Tatyana. Please, don't be frightened, I'd never hurt you…" Balian finished the sentence and put the mask back on. When he looked at the Wingly woman, who was smiling warmly at him…Had he just put a portion of his affection toward her out in the open firelight?

Author's Note: Hey all, sorry for the wait. I've been trying to decide how to get this story started off with a bang. I've got some brand new tricks up my sleeve for you. But I need reviews! Big things are about to happen, and our protagonists will find out Endiness isn't such a good place to live anymore. Review generously, and I'll try to get the next chapter up quick.


	5. A Pleasant Surprise

Chapter 4: A Pleasant Surprise

"Okay, tell me everything, no lies, and no hiding," Tatyana said, with the remnants of the smile still lingering on her face.

Balian sighed. "All right…Where to begin? I'm from a village called Seles, born and raised as the son of Dart and Shana Feld."

"You're the son of Dart Feld!?" Tatyana yelped.

"Yes, I am," Balian said. "I left Seles about four years ago, to explore the East on my own, as my dad did before the Moon Crisis. When I came back, Seles was in flames, attacked by the werewolves. They'd torn the village apart, and made off with several villagers."

"Where were your parents?" Tatyana asked.

"My father had my mother hide and he used your spirit to fend off the werewolves, but he was bitten, and they both burned alive in our home. I took after the wolves." Balian gestured to his face. "You can see what happened."

Tatyana gasped and began sliding away. Balian rolled his eyes and put up a hand. "Please, I'm not a werewolf yet. The Spirit of the Darkness Dragoon bore itself in my useless eye, and used its power that was now within me to slow the infection."

"…Slow it? For how long?" Tatyana asked.

"We don't know, the only thing that matters is it isn't permanent, that's why I'm heading to Basil. The Dragon believes that if they can tell me where to find the fortress guarding the Divine Dragoon Spirit, the spirit used to kill the Virage Embryo, and its power may be able to destroy the infection," Balian said.

"So you're not a mercenary," Tatyana went on.

"No, just a warrior out to save his own skin," Balian said.

"…How do I know you're not feeding me a lie?" Tatyana asked.

"If I were lying, I imagine that I would have told you that the Dragon had completely eliminated the infection, and if that isn't good enough for you, you're welcome to leave me when we reach the next town," Balian said. A long moment wandered by slowly as Tatyana simply stared at Balian, unmoving and not breathing. Finally, she slid back to Balian's side.

"You said you'd never hurt me, didn't you?" She asked coyly.

"…Well…I wont," Balian answered .

"Well then," she slid closer, "I suppose I still have nothing to worry about, do I?"

"Very smooth. Your romantic conversation capabilities are remarkable," The Dragon said sarcastically.

"Shut up!" Balian blurted. Tatyana jumped at it, and looked hurt for a moment. Balian laughed at this. "No, the Dragon."

"Oh, I see," Tatyana giggled.

"If I were you-but mind you, this is coming from a Dragon-I'd savor the moment a little more than this, you don't know how many more of them you'll have," the Dragon said. Balian looked up to the Blood Moon again, and sighed. He then slid closer to Tatyana.

"The moon will be full again in a little less than two weeks, but we should make it to Basil before then," Balian said.

"What happens to you in two weeks?" Tatyana asked.

"I cant say I know, but this disease is growing within me. I can feel it. It will keep getting worse until one time I will become a werewolf, and go on a hunting spree. With Dragon magic as well in my blood, who knows what the final transformation will portend," Balian said. "I'll be past Basil by then, though, and you'll be safe there. I also can't say there's a lot more that matters to me than that."

Tatyana smiled, and slid her hand onto Balian's, and slipped her fingers into the spaces between his. "You're a caring man, Balian. I'm sorry I wont get to know you better."

With that, all the apprehension that Balian felt previously vanished, and he ducked his head to meet with her own at the lips, with one long passionate kiss. It seemed to last forever, and Balian felt a great change within him, as if he'd been unburdened of something. When the kiss was over, they rested their foreheads on one anothers'.

"…Would you believe I've been waiting for that for three days?" Tatyana said.

Balian gave a small laugh.

"This is going to be trouble, I can see it now," The Dark Dragon said.

"Never," Balian said…

* * *

The next morning included an early rise, and an our of hiking until the new lovers reached the entrance to the limestone caves. Inside they found the same beautiful green sights that Dart and his friends had witnessed years earlier, with no less of their original pristine beauty.

The journey through was quick and painless, being as the Dragoons could fly over any obstacles in the way. They stopped halfway through for some lunch, and began again, headed for the light at the end of the cavern they were in.

However, fate would not allow such beauty beheld without some price.

Balian and Tatyana walked casually through the cavern, moving this way and that to avoid certain structures. Yet suddenly, the ground beneath them began to shake. They both transformed, and looked to their feet, just as the ground beneath them sunk and gave way to several open mouths. The Dragoons took refuge at the ceiling of the cave, and watched as one, two, three, four, five, then six giant worms burst from the ground, leaping up at the ceiling, and snapping at the new meat with powerful jaws.

"Stay here, I'll take care of them," Balian said. He dropped down, a few feet, and held his swords up.

They began to glow a dark violet, and the ceiling of the cave rumbled as the power within them doubled, again and again. After a minute or so, Balian threw all the magic in his swords down to the floor of the cave.

All but two of the giant worms were sucked into a spinning vortex that now covered the ground beneath them. Suddenly, the worms and the vortex around them froze into a two dimensional picture. Balian gave them a moment to suffer in the dark realm, and then tapped his blades together. "Death Dimension!"

The picture burst up, into a thousand pieces, cutting the remaining worms, and falling back onto the floor, breaking further, assuring the death of four of the six original worms. The other two, angry and bleeding, lunged at Balian, who had sunk another several feet. He turned his blades outward, and began spinning, slicing the mouths and heads of the giant beasts open. With a final explosion of black energy, the worms fell to the floor, headless.

After a moment of silence, they both touched down, and changed back. "Damn," Balian said. "Those must have been the children of the limestone beast my father told me about in these caves. He never said those things made babies," he chuckled. "Oh, well, it was nothing much."

"Yeah, nothing much, we just nearly got eaten, how about lunch?" Tatyana mocked. She gave him a shove, as they walked out of the cave.

"It's about another day's walk to Basil," Balian said.

"Really?" Tatyana said.

"Yes," Balian said with a sigh.

"Are you going to leave me in Basil?" Tatyana said, taking a hold of Balian's hand as they walked.

"It's safer there than with me," Balian answered.

"But you said you'd never hurt me," Tatyana said.

"I wouldn't, but if I lose control of myself, I wont be me. I'll be one of the wolves, and I wont be able to stop myself," Balian said.

"Balian, I don't want to be away from you, with my help you know you could make it to Tiberoa faster," Tatyana said.

"She _could_ help, Balian. We don't know for sure what will happen the next time the Blood Moon is full. You love her, so I understand that you want to protect her, but she would probably be safer with you than in Basil, in the middle of the war," The Dragon said.

Balian spent a few minutes pondering how he felt. The Dragon had made some good points. He was scared for her, but if the war fell to Basil, how would he be sure that Tatyana was safe?

Balian finally reached his decision and sighed. "If something bad happens when the full moon rises, fly high, and get as far away from me as you can," he said.

Tatyana squeezed his hand tightly in response, and they began walking northwest, in the direction of the capital of Serdio.

Author's Note: Sorry for the wait, folks, and sorry for the length, too. I promise the next one will be longer. The site was having trouble or something, so I couldn't bring up my chapter sooner. But here it is! Please give me a few reviews, and I'll get the next chapter up faster. Things begin to get interesting once our lovers reach Basil, but you wont know till I update, will you? Later!


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